When we got to Exchange 24, we parked and immediately tried to sleep. Unfortunately, Van 2 had a shorter number of miles during this section so our time was limited to just about 2 1/2 hours. changed into my final running outfit (AMERICAN FLAG SPANDEX and our Racing in the Street team tank) and fake slept the entire time. Around 4:30am, We got word that they were about 30 minutes away so we all started getting ready. I was going to lead off our team for our last legs!

All of us in Van 1 were tired and barely slept. We ALL rallied and got pumped up to start running again. I think it had to do with our final outfit. We stuck with the Springsteen theme with emphasis on BORN IN THE USA. They outfits were a hit from the start.

At 5:00am, I started my final leg, IN STYLE.

For 5:00am with no sleep, this may have been the best run I’ve done in a very long time. I was running just before dusk so I couldn’t quite see the view in Carlsbad, but I knew it was beautiful. We finally reached the water again. I saw my teammates a few times along the route and they were super supportive. Other runners commented about the amazingness of our team! My music was awesome, I felt like I was flying. I passed 33 people (we all counted) on this run and no one passed me. HUGE UPGRADE from Leg 2 and death in the dirt thoughts.

“THE PANTS MADE ME FLYYYYYY”

Leg 3: 5.5 mi, 7:45 avg

After my leg, the sun started coming up and everyone woke up and was ready to party. High-five stations were mandatory during every runner’s leg. Music was blasting and we were cheering!

Erin was next. We found her quickly, jammed out and did push ups. Why not?

Sub-8 min miles for breakfast!

Erin was high on life and handed off to her brother Pat for his final leg. There wasn’t much van support for his leg but the finish in Solana Beach was BEAUTIFUL! We were there for quite some time so we used the opportunity to take 1 million pictures.

Treacy getting ready to run and Melissa cheering!

Pat came flying in (showing off some leg) and handed off to Treacy.

Treacy had quite a hill for her final run. Thankfully, we were able to drive along side of her for most of her leg to cheer her on!

She passed off to Melissa (rockstar superhero of Van 1) in excellent fashion….

Melissa was awesome and ran for me when I couldn’t during Leg 2! Since she picked up an entire extra leg, Erin and I jumped in and ran with her for the final 2 miles of her leg!

Traffic light booty shot.

Finally, we reached the beach again. Melissa handed off to Liz in Del Mar. Then Liz climbed a another mountain. I felt bad for Runner #6. Tough legs for sure. Liz asked Erin, Treacy and I to jump in with her at the end and we jumped in right near the famous Torrey Pines in La Jolla! The four of us ran together for the final 2.2 miles. As we came turned the corner for the next major exchange, Treacy played “Bring on Your Wrecking Ball” and we jammed out, pumped up that we were done!

WHY RUN ALONE WHEN WE CAN ALL RUN TOGETHER! I NEVER WANT TO STOP RUNNING!!!!!!

We finished together with pure joy! We passed off to Van 2. Van 1 was done.

We kept in touch with our teammates from Van 2 as they blew through each leg! Unfortunately, they started running just as it was getting really warm again. We drove to the finish line and waited for our teammates!

With pizza…

And beer….

In true Racing in the Street teamwork fashion, Jackie picked up an additional leg to get us to the finish line and ran a total of 12 miles. When she came around the corner at the finish line we all jumped in and crossed the finish together.

Done.

I am proud of each runner on our team. Each runner helped us cross the finish line in 37th place (out of 371 teams). We completed the relay in 29 hours and 7 minutes! Proud is an understatement. I am inspired by every runner who completed the Ragnar Relay. The drive and determination I see in others is why I run.

Let’s call my second leg, “holy shit I’m going to die out here alone in the dirt with the rattlesnakes.”

Team Racing in the Street only had 11 members so we all picked up some extra miles during the relay. Quick note: With a full team of 12, as runner 1, I would have run Leg 1, 13 and 25. My first mileage pick up was Leg 12 (8.5 mi). The plan was to run Leg 12, and for my original Leg 13 (5.9 mi), I would take a break for a few miles while Melissa ran then jump back in for a few.

While we waited at Exchange 11 at Corona Lake for a few hours, Van 2 was crushing their legs in (I’m assuming) pretty unbearable heat.

Some pics from Erin of Van 2 having an awesome time in 100 degree weather!

We got some lunch at Subway (weirdly it was my first time there since becoming a vegetarian) and we walked around, took pictures and took in the views while we waited!

Corona Lake, Exchange 11 Ragnar SoCal

Erin and I at Corona Lake, Exchange 11, NOT FILTERED AT ALL 🙂

Somewhere around 6:00pm on Friday evening, the runners of Van 2 met us at the exchange for the handoff and I was off!

Jackie finishing Leg 11 like a boss.

That smile didn’t last long

For Leg 2 I wore Pro Compression socks, Oiselle Roga short, and a New Balance tank I bought at the NYC Marathon expo 4 minutes before it was canceled that says “I RUN NYC 2012.”

I was lucky that it started cooling down for my run. There was a nice breeze at times and I was cruising along at a nice pace and enjoying the run. UNTIL MILE 4 when I felt like I was on an episode of Survivorman. We started a climb on a dirt path and I started having trouble breathing and I was absolutely exhausted with really bad cramps. I texted Erin the following:

SOS

Then I lost ALL cell service and a wave of negative thoughts took over like never before. I started shuffling along thinking about how I never could have imagined that I was going to die on a dirt road in California via rattlesnake bites. I started counting telephone poles saying get to this one, then the next etc. That was the longest 10 minutes of my life, not joking, but as soon as I hit a sidewalk again, and saw homes, I miraculously felt better. I ran the next few miles at sub-8 pace and then, like a mirage, Erin appeared at the “ONE MILE TO GO” sign. I couldn’t speak very much but I kept telling her how thankful I was that she found me and how I still passed so many people after I started breathing like a normal person again. We ran it in to the next exchange together. That is what this relay is about. TEAMMMMWORK.

Leg 2: 8.6 mi, 8:32 avg

Melissa stepped up and ran the entire next leg (she would run again in only 2 hours, beastmode). As we waited at Exchange 13, we chatted with other teams and rallied up for the night legs.

WHY ARE YOU HERE IF YOU’RE NOT HAVING FUN?!!

We continued to piggy back our runners for support (everyone was kicking ass and running really fast splits)!! and I jumped back out to run with Erin during the final 3 miles of her 8.7 mi leg. We didn’t talk much but we crushed the last few miles of her run together!

During Pat and Treacy’s second legs, we all started to get tired (we had been awake for 15+ hours at this point). Erin took over the wheel and we went from zombie status to cheerleaders for anyone and everyone (especially Liz, who had to conquer an insane hill in the middle of the night)! We beeped, we screamed, we blasted music at everyone who ran by. We found an awesome spot and Erin, Treacy and I lined up along the road and made a High-5 Station.

Erin & Treacy & High Fives at Champagne Lakes

Favorite new cheering move: pull up next to runners and blast “Eye of the Tiger” to pump them up. People freaking loved it. We drove on to the next big exchange in all of our cheering glory. Van 1 was done with our second legs, arguably the toughest because of the time of day!

Exchange 18 was a dance party at 1 AM. There was a DJ, fire pits, a huge screen where everyone’s tweets and pictures were showing up and a SHINY DISCO BALLS!

Exchange 18 party

Serena TAKING OFF fast

Liz passed off to Serena and Van 2 and we hung out for a bit before we took off to the next big exchange. We had to ATTEMPT to get some sleep before completing our FINAL LEGS!

If you’re wondering where all of the pictures are with the American flag spandex, they are from Leg 3. Come back tomorrow! I can’t wait to relive being that awesome.

It’s been almost 2 weeks since I ran my second Ragnar Relay, this time in Southern California! It was another epic experience and the weather was 100% better than my firstRagnar in the Adirondacks!

Erin and I went out to Long Beach (we stayed with my cousin) the day before the relay began to relax and get some time at the beach! The day was full of activities: ran along the beach, toured the area by foot, soaked up the sun and drank some beers!

From Thursday evening (4/18) on, it was all about Ragnar. The full team got together, went grocery shopping (bagels, peanut butter, oranges, water, protein bars), went out to dinner and most importantly, planned our outfits. I noted in my first Ragnar post that our team name was “RACING IN THE STREET,” so Friday morning we decorated the vans (and ourselves) to show our full dedication (and obsession) to Bruce Springsteen and the USA theme!

Friday 10:30 AM: Start in Huntington Beach, CA

Our entire team came to the starting line at Huntington Beach State Park where we went through the safety briefing and were given a heat advisory, eek. We were seriously pumped up and ready to put 6+ months of planning into action!

Ragnar SoCal Team Racing in the Street

I was pumped to be Runner 1 and start off our team! I wore my blue Team Sparkle skirt and my USA Pro Compression socks, which were specially made during the London Games! I ran along the beach for about 2 awesome breezy miles then cut into this weird industrial type area where the heat hit me so hard and I had to slow down almost immediately. My goal for ALL sub-8s during Ragnar changed to “don’t die in this heat,” and I pushed through Normally transitions are fun, when I saw Erin, I quickly spewed out a few words about the heat and to take it slow. Then I stripped down and drank 8 bottles of water.

Leg 1: 4.9 insanely hot miles. 7:52 avg

My favorite part of the relay is getting out of the van and cheering for your teammates (and the other runners) and helping them out along their route. We all suffered through the heat and Melissa & Treacy conquered some major hills as well!

Erin hydrating during Leg 1 (running in an almost identical place to where the Grease car race was filmed)!

Handoff to Pat (Erin’s bro) as Melissa (Pat’s girlfriend) ensures he is protected from the sun.

Melissa ran up and down a mountain during this leg.

Liz flying in to Exchange 6 and showing serious leg

Most of team Racing in the Street at Exchange 6

After we handed off to Van 2 (who unfortunately had to run in even higher temps nowhere near the water), we decided to drive to the next exchange where we would take over so we could eat and potentially get some rest (yea fucking right). I’m proud of us for staying hydrated during the high temps (water, Nuun and countless oranges)!

Meet Ashley

Welcome to Running Bun! I am Ashley, a working-mom who loves running and training for races, attempting yoga inversions, a strong cocktail, and a good dose of sarcasm. This blog is where I share a lot of random thoughts about the above with some parenting woes mixed in for good measure.